Process for obtaining bark extracts.



D. C. REYNOLDS.

PROCESS FOR OBTAINING BARK EXTRACTS.

APPLICATiON FILED JUNE22. 1916.

L22Q55'Y. v Patented Mar. 27', 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET I. 3 Q

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D. C. REYNOLDS.

PROCESS FOR OBTAINlNG BARK EXTRACTS.

APPLlCATION FILED JUNE 22 I916- N H Patenteu Mar. 2 191 1.

uhowtlzt that I", ZDAXIEL Rnrxonns, el itejd States, residing at county of Philadelphia ylvania, have invented W d useful Improvements in Processes *fot Cbt'a in'ing Bark Extracts, of

which the if ollowing is a specification.

:fIn the elephan s of various compounds,

'ngf those employed, when er injected into steam boil- 7 v nd nullify the deteriorating effect f the action of the chemicals within"the' water upon the interior of said boilers, it? has. loi' ig been the custom to steep the barkstof certain trees for the purpose of obtaining de sir d extracts therefrom.

has been employed to increase the quantity of the extracts or uices fronrwgiven amount of a given bark, as it is well known that even with the best of care and painsmuchbf the existing juice is lost fth d'isp osa'lllof; the refuse bark, and

v'en fwhen the latter has been previously cutofmacerat'ed into small particlesJai'idisbot li'wasteftll and costlv.

Farthermor ;when a batch of bark is boiledinj.wate1 and the extract obtained therefrom has ttained a certain specific gravity, of say seven or eight Baum, it has been difiicult to increase thelatter, without decreasing pthewhlu'me proportionately by ev'aporatlonf' And furthermore, the apparatu'sf h eretofore employed in obtaining the said extracts'hasmot possessed the greatest poss ble efficiency and has been exceecungly wasteful' andexpensive to operate.

he object of invention, therefore, has been, to provide apparatus. which obtains the ,greatest possible quantity of extract from a g'iven 'aniount of bark; which consumes "the least possible amount ,of steam; which'c an" be cleaned with the most convenie ,ivhichpermits the liquid carrying the extract from'ja given batch of bark to be raisediiir specificgra'vity by reboiling with a secoii'd'batch' of said bark with the least difliculty and waste energy; and which in every incre'a'sesthe"efficiency of the process.

" ncl a 'stillfu'rther object is to provide a pr cess and apparatus for carrying out the same, whereby the formerly wasted bark is' nifllde into suitable basis fora sweeping compound for both concrete floors and domesti'c urpq' eS-ij;

DANIEL QREYNDLDS, or rHILAn ELPHrA, PENNSYLVANIA.

In the carrying out of this process, it is well understood that a different form of the apparatus may be employed from thatshown, but as hereinafter described it has given the best results thus far, and is there fore preferred. The drawings show in Figure 1 a perspective viewof the whole system; Fig. 2 is a vertical diametrical section of one of the set of extracting tanks; Fig. 3 1s a vertical section of the evaporating tank, Fig. i is ahorizontal section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of one of the supports used in the tanks for positioning thetubes.

Referring to Fig. 1 of thedrawings, the preferred arrangement of the apparatus employed in carrying out the present invention is shown as comprising four extracting tanks A A A and A provided with drain pipes 1, having regulating. valves 2,

and leading from the bottoms thereof to a common pipe 3, which drops to a lower level and thence through branches 4-, controlled by valves 5, into storage tanks B B and B From the lowermost portions of said lastnamed tanks liquids are led through pipes 8, provided with valves 9, and thence through a common pipe 10 to a centrifugal pump 11, driven by anysuitable power (not shown), while from said pump they pass through a pipe 12 upwardly and by branches 13, pro vided with valves 14, to the upper portions of said first-named tanks.

For the purpose of heating the contents of the extracting tanks, and one of the storage tanks, the same are provided with steam coils 18 adjacent to their bottom walls and of any suitable construction, but preferably. of the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, each of said coils communicating at one end through suitable reducing valves 19 with a steam supply line 20. leading from any desired source (not shown). At their opposite ends said coils communicate through individual traps 21 and a common pipe 21 with a vacuum line 22, leading to a vacuum-producing device (also not shown).

Specification a Letters Patent. Patented'ltltar. 2?,191lt; a plication filed June 22, 1916. Serial No. 105,311. A V i i From one pointof the steam supply line,-

condensation well, whence this pure water with its latent heat units is reheated and reinjected into the boiler forming the source of steam supply. Said evaporating tank is adapted to be filled through a pipe 30 into which lead brancn pipes 31, provided with individual valves 32, from the bottoms of each of the said storage tanks.

The storage tanks. are simply cylinders,

either with or without covers, but without any speclal mterior' construction, except in the case of the one which, as above described,

. is provided with a steam coil for maintaining the contents of said tank heated until they process, as compared with those known to be at present in operation.

A tank 35 is provided at a relatively short distance ,from its bottom wall with a substantially horizontally extending partition 36, having an aperture 37 while depending from the sides of the latter is a relatively short section of tube or pipe 38, which extends into, and to a point adjacent to the bottom of, a cup 39, forming with said tube a trap, for the purpose hereinafter described.

Extending through said partition and upwardly to a point but a short distance below'the plane of the upperterminus of the sides of the tank is a series of substantially parallel tubes 41, open atboth ends and supported in spaced relation with the sides of the said walls by brackets 42, to which the .said tubes are secured by straps 43. Spanning the openin 37 in the partition 36 I is a suitable strainer 44, which keeps solid particles from entering and clogging said trap.

In the operation of the device as thus far described, one or more of the extracting tanks is substantially filled with very finely divided bark to a point a short distance below the' top of the former, while water is poured upon the same until the said bark is covered, the water being preferably sup plied in the nature of a spray acting to settle the dust of the bark, while the process of filling the tank is proceeding.

' Steam, preferably at about sixty pounds pressure, is then turned into the coil in the bottom of the tank and the water heated until it boils hard, this action being maintained for approximately twenty-four hours,

and during this time the formation of steam adjacent to the coil and below the partition, being unable to pass'through the latter past the trap, forces the water in the tubes 41 upwardly in a practically constant stream, whence it sprays over the bark, upon being 4 turned downwardly by deflectors 46, and

percolates through the mass. Gradually in this manner the juices of the bark are ex tracted, and the. watercontaining the same Baum, the same is run into the storage tank having the heating coil, from whence it is taken and by the centrifugal pump forced upwardly nto the original, or another, of the extracting tanks upon a fresh charge of bark, The same process of boiling and percolating is then continued, after which, if

the desired specific gravity has been attained, the extract'is run off into a storage tank, and then, if desired, into the evaporating tank.

The evaporating tank 25 comprises a cylinder 50, having adjacent to its bottom wall the coil 24 hereinbefore referred to, and

near its upper portion a substantially horizontal partition 51, provided with an aperture 52, partially closed by a strainer 53, and having a short tube 54 depending therefrom and into a cup 54', to form a trap, similar to the one previously described, but

larger in proportion for the purpose of accommodating the liquid which before being drawn from the tank is heavy and sluggish like molasses.

The upper part of this tank terminates in a large, flaring, funnel-shaped section 55, and a series of parallel'tubes 56, extending from below and through said partition, terminate near the upper part of said section,

v while they are held in spaced position from the walls thereof by brackets 57, similar to those hereinbefore described.- The relatively light liquid extract which enters this evaporating tank, is heated by the steam coil 24, and is forced by the steam upwardly through the said tubes and into the air, where little-by little it loses its moisture and in falling is led back to the tank by the sides of the section. 55, and thence through the partition by way of the trap described. Having thus described my invention, what I claim anddesire to protect by Letters Patent'of the United States is 1. The process which consists in boiling I water with bark, to extract certain of the ingredients therefrom, raising the temperature of said liquor to facilitate evaporation, spraying the same through air, to evaporate from said liquor a portion of the moisture therein, and then collecting the resultant liquid. i.

' 2. The process which consists in boiling water with bark to extract certain of the ingredients therefrom, removing the liquid thus formed from the spent bark, boiling the said liquid with a lot of fresh bark to raise the specific gravity of the former, then raising the temperature of the liquor to facilitate evaporation and spraying the same through relatively dry air, to'evaporatefrom 13.0

said liquid a portion of the moisture therein, and then collecting the resultant liquid.

3. The process Which consists in boiling Water Wit-h bark to extract certain of the ingredients therefrom, removing the liquid thus formed from the spent bark, boiling the said liquid With a lot of fresh bark to raise the specific gravity of the former,

sprayingsaid liquid through relatively dry air to evaporate from said liquid a portion 1(1) In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of a Witness.

DANIEL O. REYNOLDS.

WVitness J. STUART FREEMAN. 

